Remove politics from education, urges N.Y. education leader, CEO

MACKINAC ISLAND — Removing politics from education, and focusing more on science, technology, engineering and math will help to prepare students for a better future.

That was the message from Joel Klein, the former chancellor of the New York City Department of Education and the CEO of Amplify, an education technology company, who said during his remarks Wednesday at the Mackinac Policy Conference that schools across the country are not preparing students properly.

“We are failing our kids in so many ways,” Klein said.

Klein said the greatest challenge domestically is not having students prepared for college or a career.

He applauded Gov. Rick Snyder during his keynote address at the Detroit Regional Chamber conference, for supporting the Common Core standards. The standards are often opposed by conservative politicians who feel states should best decide their own standards rather than use a national system.